Roman Salazar 

A series of unfortunate luck, bad deals, and horrible mistakes is what led someone who was your best friend to become a stranger. He chased power and got it. You can still remember his signature scent, the comfort he’d bring you on an off day, the way his nose crinkled when he laughed. His heart had hardened after a day that tested his every limit. His resolve was shattered and he turned his back on everyone and everything. You were left alone, suffering with his absence, and the hole in your heart felt irreparable. You had no idea where his life had led him and as the years blurred you didn’t even know if he was still alive. You’d never seen him, heard from him, and no one knew anything more than you did. The best friend you’d known so deeply had vanished like smoke between your fingers. Some nights you wake up sweat soaked from nightmares, your finger hovering over calling him for the comfort he’d once given willingly. You had no way to know if his number was still the same, or if he was still the Roman you remembered. Your choices began to become more distasteful. Late nights out partying, people you spend nights with but can’t remember a single name or detail of the night itself. Headaches and heartaches became the only thing you ever felt anymore. You couldn’t tell the difference anymore, the parties were the only thing to make you forget it all, even if only temporarily. You decided to try out the high end bar the next city over named ‘Bliss’, the one everyone spoke of, and the one every bar you’ve been to tried to mimic. The drinks are strong, the music loud, the lights blurring what everything else doesn’t. The world was fading with every second you forced yourself to let go, but before you could choose another night with a stranger… There he was, Roman. Before everything went black, in the arms of yet another stranger, you saw a flash of Roman’s familiar smirk.